Patent GB-1336030-A (GB)
Title: Tufted carpets
IPC: D05C17/02
Filed: 1971-01-22
Abstract: 1336030 Pile fabrics IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES Ltd 5 Jan 1972 [22 Jan 1971] 2967/71 Heading D1K [Also in Division B2] A tufted carpet comprises a woven primary backing of oriented polyolefine tapes of which the warps and/or the wefts are coated on at least one side with a hot melt adhesive which adheres at least some of the warp and weft tapes together. After the tufts have been inserted the fabric is heated, for example in a dye bath, so that the adhesive flows around the tufts and secures them in position. Either the warps or the wefts may be coated, before weaving the primary backing or the primary backing may be coated on one side, e.g. by a coating roller or doctor blade after having been woven. The tapes may be formed by splitting a film of polypropylene and may be orientated by stretching either before or after the splitting. The polyolefine may also comprise orientable polymers of ethylene or copolymers of polypropylene with other olefines, for example ethylene and may contain stabiliser and flame proofing agents. The hot melt adhesive may be subjected to a preliminary heat treatment before tufting and a further layer of hot melt adhesive may be applied to the primary backing after tufting. The hot melt adhesive may be a copolymer of ethylene with a co-monomer containing from 3 to 8 carbon atoms per molecule which is an ethylenically unsaturated fatty acid or an ethylenically unsaturated fatty acid ester in which the unsaturation may be either in the acid or the esterifying alcohol moiety, e.g. a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. Other examples are acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, alkyl (e.g. methyl) esters of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and vinyl proprionate. Two or more co-monomers may be used to produce materials such as ethylene/ vinyl acetate/methyl methacrylate copolyers. The adhesive may be blended with wax, e.g. petroleum waxes, Fischer-Tropsch waxes or brown coal waxes and contain fillers, e.g. talc chalk, whiting, clay, silica, dolomite, titanium dioxide or barium sulphate. Tack resins may also be included, of which many are specified. The hot melt adhesive may be applied to the tapes or the film by gravure coating rollers, hot lick rollers, extrusion coating or curtain coating as a hot melt or dispersion in a carrier liquid, or alternatively may be sprinkled on the tape or film in powder form and then be heated. After tufting the primary backing may be coated with a secondary backing such as foamed rubber, rubber latex, water soluble or emulsifiable adhesives such as polyvinyl acetate, copolymers of vinyl acetate with other ethylenically unsaturated monomers, e.g. styrene, vinyl chloride, carboxylated polyvinyl acetate resin, e.g. a copolymer of vinyl acetate and an acrylic acid, vinyl esters, polyvinyl alcohol, acrylic resins, or aqueous emulsions of polymeric materials, e.g. carboxylated styrene-butadiene copolymers. Alternatively a cloth secondary backing may be applied, e.g. canvas, burlap. Hessian, woven thermoplastic tape or a felt, e.g. of polypropylene fibres may be attached to the primary backing by a bonding layer of hot melt or solvent dispersible adhesive, which may be foamed.